The Metal Magician
by Raven-1313
Summary: Edward Elric receives a weird letter one day that is just the beginning of the weirdness. Ed has been accepted to a school named Hogwarts. Ed and Al are thrown into a whole new world they thought never existed. There they meet new friends and enemies, discover age old secrets, and fight giant monsters. AU set during present day and Harry's second year. Eventual shounen-ai pairings.
1. Ch 1: The Odd Owl

**_Authors note:_****_ Hi everybody! This is my first longer fanfic and my first crossover and I got the idea from my friend Canada. This is for you Canada even though no one will see you! HaHa ! (I'll probably be smacked for that latter). Anyways if you read this then thank you for your support! *low bow* This is probably a popular crossover so I'm sorry if it is similar to another story, I personally have not read any of the Harry Potter fics (Cross or otherwise). I'm also not the biggest HP fan in the world so I am sorry if I get something wrong (But I did try and do research by reading about half of the first book and watching the first movie one day when I was home sick from school). I'm open to peaceful suggestions but no flaming please._****_ Enjoy!_**

**I do not own FMA(B) or Harry Potter. If I owned Harry Potter Luna would have been the main character for the whole series.**

**Warnings****:** eventual shounen-ai (But not for a few chapters) so if you don't like/don't know don't read. Also bad language (Thanks Eddy-kun) and possible violence (I have no clue where I'm gonna take the story). **_Spoilers galore!_**

**Universe**: set in present day with slight background changes to fit (Will be explained in the story). Possibly set during the second year/book/movie of Harry Potter.

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**Chapter 1: The Odd Owl**

Ed was in the kitchen reading a book at the small, worn table when he heard the front door open with a clatter of what sounded like a person with their hands full. The door creaked slowly closed as the person who opened it tried to silence it. The intruder tiptoed down the short hall and directly into the kitchen where Ed was. The 14-year-old intruder gave a small gasp when he discovered that he was not alone in the small apartment. Ed gave a small chuckle at his brother's surprise until he looked at what Al was holding.

"Alphonse what are you doing with that... that," he was at a loss of words as he tried to figure out what the brown bundle was. Ed let out a sharp gasp of his own when the bundle moved without Al moving. Al cradled the bundle protectively and he tensed at Ed's unfinished question.

"I found it on the street. Some older boys were throwing stones at it. I think it might have a broken wing. Please help it brother! I don't want it to die..." Al trailed off as he looked down at the bundle with a gloomy look. Ed then noticed that Al's eyes are red as if he had been crying, and his little brother's eyes were once again filling with tears. Ed stood up and walked over to his brother.

"Al, it'll be ok. We will take care of it." As he said that, Ed put a hand on his little brother's shoulder to show him that Ed would always be beside him to help. Al shifted into the reassuring touch and shifted the thing in his arms. Ed then saw that the front of Al's pale blue shirt was slowly turning red, as was the floor at his feet. "Come on, bring it to the bathroom so that we can bandage its wounds," Ed said as he turned away from Al.

Ed entered the bathroom and was shortly joined by Al who gently placed the brown creature in the small bathtub. Ed opened the medicine cabinet to grab some gauze, tape, and disinfectant. He placed the supplies on the side of the tub and left to get a fresh towel from the linen closet.

Ed returned to find that Al had already shed his bloody shirt. Al tried to turn away from Ed when he walked in, but Al was not fast enough. Ed was stunned by the sight of Al's body. "What the Hell, Al? Why didn't you tell me earlier?!" Ed yelled as he felt his face heat up with anger. He wasn't exactly angry at Al, just the people that had made his brother look like this. The younger man's upper body was covered in fresh bruises and scratches.

"I-I-It nothing," Al said as he tried to hide himself from his brother's angry stare. "I-It is more injured than I am. P-Please brother, I-I will explain later, w-w-we need to help it..." Al was cut off when Ed shoved him so that he sat on the closed toilet. "Please brother I'm fine!" Al swatted away his worried brother with unusual force. Ed just stood there stunned at Al's defiance. Ed then took a mental assessment of Al's injuries, and none of them were all that bad. Most of the scratches had even built up their own scabs. Al was right, the thing in the tub was in more of a critical condition than his brother was. A small smile played on Ed's lips as he realized something.

"You always put other's needs before your own, Al." Ed said and Al smiled as well, realizing Ed would not go against his judgement. Both brothers looked back at the thing lying in the tub. At that moment the creature suddenly woke up, and finding itself in a small room with two potential predators, it started to violently thrash. It managed to get up, but then it flopped back down miserably. While it tried to escape it was making an awful squawking noise that sounded as if a cat was playing with a half dead mouse. The animal tried to thrash again as Al approached it. The animal attempted to attack Al, but then Al calmed it down by showing it that they were not a threat. Bright green-gold animal eyes locked onto Ed's golden eyes, and Ed had a sudden feeling that he had seen the creature somewhere else before.

Al broke Ed's trance as he said, "Hey can you hand me that towel?" Ed stupidly looked down at the towel that was still in his hand. Ed slowly came closer to his brother's shoulder, still weary of the animal. Al was holding up a big wing gently to expose one of the bigger cuts.

Ed suddenly realized what the animal was, "Oh, it's an owl! You usually don't see them here..." he trailed off to think of the other strange things that the animal did, like act as if it was smarter than some random animal.

"Yeah. It's also bigger than any normal owls, at least from what I've read in books," Al replied as he started to work on cleaning the wounds. The owl tensed and let out another odd squeak when Al touched it with the disinfectant, but then Al calmed it again as he continued to work quickly.

"It looks like you have this taken care of, so I'm going to go cook dinner," Ed said before Al gave a short grunt of response as Ed left the bathroom. Ed closed the bathroom door and slumped onto it with a sigh. Too many odd things had happened lately to count. The odd things happened so frequently that it was almost normal for the brothers. Ed released another long sigh before pushing off of the door and moving to the kitchen.

Ed had a simple stew brewing when Al entered the room in a new change of clothes on. Two sets of golden eyes met and Al looked at Ed with a slightly confused and curious look. "What is it?" Asked Ed.

Al held out a normal looking envelope and Ed took it out of Al's grasp. The paper looked high quality on closer inspection. "It was strapped on the owl's leg, and I tried to open it but I couldn't get it open." Al said as Ed flipped it to the side that had _'To Mr. E._ _Elric' _ written in green ink on it.

"Its addressed to me," Ed said, "let me try it." He flipped the envelope over again to the side that had a wax seal on it. Imprinted in the wax was a coat of arms with what looked like four different animals around a fancy 'H'. He easily broke the seal and lifted the flap up. Inside of the envelope were three pieces of high quality paper, the same paper that the envelope was made out of. He slipped out the first paper. Written in green ink, the letter head had the same coat of arms as the wax seal and under it, in fancy letters was:

_Dear Mr. Edward Elric,_

_Due to your outstanding performance on the Wizards' Ordinary Magic and Basic Aptitude Test (W.O.M.B.A.T) we are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please send back your reply on this complimentary owl service. Enclosed is a list of all the supplies you will need and your certificate for passing the W.O.M.B.A.T.._

_Once you reach the school grounds please come directly to my office to discuss your class options and future plans.  
_

_Yours sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall,_

_Deputy Headmistress_

The envelope had two more pieces of paper inside it just like the letter said, a list of what looked like confusing things he had never heard of, and a thick, official looking document. There was nothing addressed to, or even mentioning Al, which means he probably had not been accepted for what ever reason. He couldn't tell Al because he would probably force his older brother to go, even if it left him alone in the apartment. Al could not work to pay the rent or for food, so without Ed, Al would be in trouble. The money that their mother had left them was long gone, and the only way they stayed afloat was that Ed worked illegally for a friend of the family who knew their basic situation.

Al noticed his brother's face become gloomy and closed off before Ed dropped his head. Golden bangs fell to shelter the growing wetness of Ed's sad eyes. "Brother?" Al asked carefully. "Is it dad?" Even through the golden Al could see a forced looking smirk play on his brother's lips before it quickly faded.

"That bastard would never write us..." Ed trailed off, his voice to weak to continue. Ed then took a deep breath as he straightened up and looked at Al. A smile formed Ed's face as he continued, his voice stronger "Its nothing, Al. Just some kid having fun, or something." Al could tell that his brother's smile didn't reach his eyes, but he dropped it along with the hollow lie. Ed stuffed the letter into his overused pocket.

"Is dinner ready yet?" Al asked.

"Yeah. Sit down and I'll serve it." Ed said as he turned back to the stew on the stove. Al shuffled over to the cabinet to get out bowls, and he placed them down on the counter beside his brother.

_What the Hell is a 'Wizard School' _Thought Ed._ There are no such things as wizards. They are just myth. And what is a W.O.M.B.A.T. test anyways? I never took any wizard tests that I know of. Maybe this is just a prank from the guys at work. Mr. Armstrong probably set this thing up to pay me back for the boxes I broke last week. Yeah, that's it. But knowing him, he will burst in tears as soon as I even give him a hint that I know his plan. I really don't want to flood the warehouse, so I'll just 'forget' it. I'm gonna just pretend nothing happened. I won't even have to tell Al if he doesn't push it. Maybe I could hide the letter away in my journal..._

He was pulled away from his thoughts when he heard Al give a short yelp of surprise. Ed looked down to where he was absent-mindedly pouring the hot stew to see the thick sauce covering his right hand. He jumped and cursed his stupidity before he caught the look in Al's eyes. Al probably had thought Ed had burned his hand. "Al, it's ok. It was just the fake hand." Ed said to his brother. Al always forgot which hand and leg was fake mainly because Ed always covered them up, even if it was super hot out.

Ed shrugged off the now stained glove and threw into the trash. Al visibly relaxed when he saw the metal catch the light. The fake arm was annoying and sometimes it hurt like hell, but it had its uses.

"I'm gonna go clean the gunk out of it." Ed said as he looked from his hands up into Al's big eyes. "Go ahead and eat, I'm not hungry today. I have something to work on in my room. Goodnight Al!" Ed retreated to his small bedroom that doubled as his small personal study. He closed and locked the wooden door quickly before Al could react.

Through the wall Ed could hear his brother's surprised "G-Goodnight brother! Don't stay up too late. Oh! And remember you have an appointment tomorrow!" Ed let out an exasperated sigh. His 'doctor' was an old lady that he considered his god-grandmother and a girl his age that loved to throw wrenches. They were annoying, but they were like his family, and the helped him a lot after the accident. The girl was even the one who came up with the crazy machine attached to him. She had called the lumps of metal 'auto-mail' for some odd reason and they actually allowed for a normal full range of motion as if the metal was someone's missing limb. Ed didn't know how it worked, but after the excruciating sugary that must have attached his nerves to wires, this machine obeyed his brain's signals and moved.

Ed took a small box off of the cluttered desk and placed it on the bed. He then took off his many layers to reveal the metal that reached up to his right shoulder. He vigorously cleaned the fake arm, especially the wrist where most of the stew fell onto, until it shined. He then took off his leather pants to reveal the fake leg that connected to flesh right above the left knee. He shivered and tried to shrink against the cold hitting his skin. The boxers that he wore did not protect him from the cold. Ed cleaned the leg faster than the arm and he then quickly pulled the covers over his body.

Once he was warm again he reached for the abandoned coat that had fallen onto one of the many piles on the ground. He pulled out the strange letter and re-read it again. _It makes no sense. Why me and not Al, or why not both of us? _

His thoughts turned back to Al. _What will he do without me? He is too young to work, and even if that bastard of a dad came back he probably would not recognize him. _He thought back to one of his first memories. He always remembered looking at his dad's back as he exited the front door for the last time. _Mom said that he went on a trip, but it's not to hard to figure out that he abandoned us. Who would go on a trip for years leaving your two young children and girlfriend behind like that? _Their father had not even married their mother for whatever reason, but that was not too uncommon then.

A few years after their father had left their mother 'caught' some sort of deadly disease that the doctors couldn't identify or cure. _The research I did said that it was probably cancer,_ Ed thought. After her death they lived in the empty house for a while, but it brought back too many bad memories, so they abandoned it. Their father had left some money behind, and Ed and Al used that to find their current apartment and stay afloat for a while.

Even_ if he was old enough to remember, he would not remember that bastard now, _he thought. He thought back to the accident as his vision blurred. _It's all m fault. Al's memories, our money, everything..._Ed got into an accident and the surgery basically wiped them out of money. After he recovered, Ed found work with a family friend that was willing to 'employ' him under the table. All Ed did all day was move heavy boxes around the giant warehouse, but it helped him build up muscle and recover after the surgery.

Ed returned to the present as his gaze focused on the paper in his hands. This was not the first weird thing that happened to him, but it was defiantly one of the weirdest. Ed grabbed one of his least favorite and boring books off of the shelves. It was a giant atlas from ten years ago, to out of date to be useful but to young to be valuable. He flipped open the cover and carefully found page number 13. The pages after page 13 had been cut out to make room for the secret compartment that held his journal. Even though he usually wrote in code, the hiding place was just another precaution to prevent Al reading it and worrying about him. In the cutout he also had another, deeper hidden compartment where he stored more important things. Inside it there was his mother's locket that had a picture of the three of them shortly before she got sick. There was also another older photograph in the compartment that was of all four of them, Al as a baby, Ed as a toddler, and both of their parents. According to the date on the back it was only a few days before _he _had left them. Strangely enough their father was crying like a little kid. Ed did not remember that day, so he did not know why he was crying, and mom never told them why. The picture was old and frayed from people handling it.

The last object was an old pocket watch with a weird design on the outside. On the inside of the cover there was _Don't Forget .11. _It was made of silver, so it must have taken a lot of effort to carve it. It was their dad's watch, but Ed still couldn't figure out why he carved a date that was so old (he assumed it was 1911). The watch did not work, but it was one of the few things he had from his dad, and even though he didn't want to admit it, the watch was precious.

Ed put the letter in the compartment next to the other objects, and he closed the smaller compartment. He took his journal and wrote about the odd event's of the day. Eventually he could barely keep his eyes open, let alone write, so he put the journal and atlas back and flicked off the light. He was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

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_**After note:** End of the first chapter! FINALLY! I've had this written and sitting for a few weeks, but I never had time to check it over and fix it, so I just finished that tonight, and I'm going to post it in a few seconds...Sorry it kind of cuts off, but the next thing I want to happen is a whole chapter...This is my first multi-chapter fic, so I'm not sure how often I will be able to update it... I will try for once a week at least, unless something comes up. I hope you enjoyed and keep reading. If you don't like wips and you are reading this sometime in the future I hope my future self has found a good ending because truthfully I have no idea where this will lead! XD. Oh well. All good stories are spontaneous, they are never pre-planned 20 million ways. And besides I hate pre-planning. Hopefully I'll see you next chapter! __Bye for now everyone!_  


**___If anyone has any suggestions please review/PM me. I am open to nearly everything._**

Minor fix 16 Aug 2013


	2. Ch 2: The Dream

**_Author's Note: Thank you everyone who faved/followed this story and me! I was going to write this chapter a few days ago, but it was like 'oh crap how do I start this?' so I thought about it and I had already figured out the back story, but I couldn't think on how to put it in, so here you go! 2 birds with one stone I guess. Sorry but I don't think that it will all that magical yet, but all good authors have to build a sturdy base before they can even begin to think about the palace it will hold. _**

**_I got a review from a guest, and I promised that I would reply to them all, so if you are reading here you go:_**

_Thanks for your review and being the first reviewer! I will describe that in the next few chapters hopefully, but it's not as awesome or as mysterious as it sounds... unfortunately I am not very creative with stuff like that... anyways thanks again! Bye!_

**Warnings:** Language, Spoilers, and a graphic/bloody scene.

**I don't own anything except my OCs and my random imaginings. **Btw: This story is supposed to be mainly from Ed's pov. Sorry if that wasn't clear earlier.

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**Chapter 2: The Dream**

_Ed and Al walked along the overgrown trail as the talked about random things like homework, which girls had cooties, and what they thought Granny Pinako would cook for dinner. It was the first hour of summer vacation, so their spirits were high. The next day they had plans to jump on the first train going to the big city. They did not even know the name of the city, but it didn't matter to the brothers. They were so excited to be finally leaving the countryside that if they ended up going back the second they touched city soil the trip would have been worth it._

_The brothers reached the end of the trail. The dark forest opened up to a large field filled with tall grass blowing in the wind, giving the field the appearance of a giant green ocean. They squinted against the bright sun as the breeze brought the scent of a summer of excitement to their noses. Ed could feel himself grinning like a maniac and he looked to side to see his brother with an equally evil smile spreading on his face. Ed took off in a sprint and looked over his shoulder to see Al stumbling to keep up. _

_They reached the Rockbell house in record time. Winry was not home yet because she was walking with the sisters that lived up the road. Ed dropped his school bag on the porch and he ran around the back of the house. Al followed his actions like a baby duck following its mother. Al was outgoing at school and with his friends, but when they were alone they stuck together like glue, not wanting to lose sight of their only family. _

_Ed took off his shoes and socks, throwing them in the grass. He climbed the rocks around the stream and carefully wadded in. Al followed in, but he slipped and caught Ed on the way down. They both splashed into the cool water. They laughed at each other as they started to splash each other, no longer worrying about getting wet. They continued to play and swim until the sun sat low in the sky and they were called into the house for dinner. _

_Granny Pinako shook her head at the boys when they finally appeared in the doorway. She grabbed a few towels from the closet. She gave one to each of the brothers and she laid a few down on the floor and dinning room chairs. "Clean up after dinner. If we wait for you dinner will get cold," She said frankly. She shooed them to the table were they ate their dinner of stew so fast they didn't even taste it. They ran to the patient rooms that they would sleep in tonight. Since the train left so early they would have to get up before sunrise, and the Rockbell women did not trust them to get up, so they held an impromptu sleep-over._

_They went through their bedtime preparations in a daze and Ed was now lying on his bed fully awake. He looked out of his window to look at the night sky. He tried counting the stars like he did some nights to fall asleep, but it was hopeless. "Al. Al, are you awake?" He whispered to the cot beside him. _

_The small form shifted before answering, "Yeah. I'm just to excited to sleep."_

_"What do you think the sky in the city looks like?" He asked_

_Al answered with a shrug. Al hesitated before asking, "Did mom ever go to the city?"_

_Ed looked back to the starry sky with sad eyes. "Probably. I think we did go to the city once but it was a very long time ago. I don't remember much. I mainly remember the train and holding mom's hand when we crossed a big street..." He trailed off when he noticed that Al was fast asleep, his chest rising and falling in a steady pace._

_Ed closed his eyes and willed himself to sleep. He didn't know how long he laid there in the darkness, but he eventually was lost in dreams of giant, glittering buildings and weird machines._

_Ed was violently shaken awake along with some hits from cold metal that he guessed was Winry's wrench. "...-diot. Come on and get up you up you idiot!" The fog slowly lifted as his sleep receded back. "If you don't get up we will be late!" Winry's last comment made him bolt upright, colliding heads with the small mechanic. He immediately looked for Al, but his cot was empty. Winry followed his gaze and said "He's already downstairs eating breakfast. We've tried to wake you up for an hour now! Hey! Listen to me..." He ran to his suitcase to grab his clothes and then he ran to the bathroom to get ready._

_He ran down stairs to grab the last piece of cold toast before he had to clean up his night stuff into his overfilled suitcase. They had to practically run to the station but they thankfully caught the train. As they settled in Granny Pinako warned them again, just like the billion of times previous._

_"Remember, this trip is to get some equipment that I need. If you children don't behave I WILL take you back home, even if I have to drag you the whole way. And Elrics, if I wasn't so worried that you would burn the house down if you tried to cook you would not even be coming along. So make sure to be extra good." All three children nodded intently, knowing that she was telling the truth and that she would carry out the threat. _

_Just then the train lurched into motion and the adventure had begun._

_The next couple of days went by in a blur of amazing sights and events. The last day in the city had come and they were all a bit sad to leave, but they all missed home. Granny Pinako trusted Ed and Al enough to send them out on their own to get a few souvenirs from the store across the street. Al got a snow globe that had a picture of the city sky line. Ed got a book signed by the local author. They were waiting to cross the street full of buzzing cars when a cat suddenly ran out on the street._

_"Al!" Ed screamed as his brother ran after it. Time slowed as a car raced straight for Al. It tried to swerve but Ed knew it was too late. He jumped for his brother, but it was useless. All he could do was sacrifice himself and hope the car would miss. He shoved Al away in time, but he landed flat on his stomach. The car came barreling towards his head and he tried to tuck, but he was paralyzed with fear._

_'I can't move. I'm going to die here. On this street. Al. I'm sorry Al. I'm going to die. Take care of yourself.' He thought to himself. His vision blurred as tears spilled across his cheeks. 'At least it will be quick. It will be painless. G-Goodbye Al... I will miss you...' The world went black and for a second he thought he was dead, but nothing happened._

_'This isn't right... No... What...' He opened his eyes. 'I-I have eyes?' There were a bunch of people standing around him looking at him with fearful, sad, grieving faces. 'Al' He tried to get up, 'Al! Al! Where are you? Are you hurt?' He tried to prop himself on his elbows, but he couldn't. 'What?' he looked to his right side, but, 'M-m-my arm? Where's my arm? Blood. I-Is that my blood? So much.' Then the pain set in._

_He felt his throat burn and his lips move, but no sound came. 'No sound at all...' He looked back up to the people who were all moving, blurry. The one man was looking right into his face, lips moving making unheard words. 'Al! Al! Where is Al?!' Tears spilled out, but it wasn't from the pain. The world blurred more as he shoved the man away he tried to stand but he fell again. Gritting his teeth he looked down at what made him fall. 'My leg... My leg is gone to...' He looked around frantically searching. Golden eyes caught his. 'Al... You're safe...' He tried to stand and crawl again, but violent shudders racked his body. The pain suddenly intensified and he gagged. The bile scorched his tortured throat as it came up. The shudders continued as his vision blurred more. He reached for his brother, but all of his strength was gone and the arm fell uselessly by his side. 'Al... Al...' "Al! Brother! Alphonse!"_

_Someone lifted him onto a gurney and started to roll him away. He fought to go back. He had to go back. He had to get to Al. He reached out for the fleeting form of his brother, "AAAALLLLLL!" The man struggling to hold him down mumbled something to another man before shoving the gurney in a small compartment. He lost sight of Al. 'He's gone. He's not here. He's not here.' He had nothing to fight for now so he let the darkness take over. The last thing he heard were the frantic cries of someone he didn't know._

_"C'mon kid. Stay with me. Fight it! Shit. I'm loosing him. I'm loosing him!"_

* * *

Ed woke up with a start. He was drenched in sweat despite the cold room. His lungs burned as if he had been screaming. "Shit. Al! D-did he hear?" He looked around and sighed gratefully. Warm sun streamed through his window beside his clock that read '10:36'. Al would be at school by now. He brought his knees up to his chest and sat there for a long time. He had not thought about that day in a long time. It was the accident that took away his limbs and Al's memories. The doctors tried to explain that Al had gone into extreme shock and locked away all of his memories. Ed thinks that Al blamed himself for the accident and he couldn't deal with the fact that he had hurt his only family, so that was why he had locked away the memories. Al had to relearn many things, but many of them were muscle memory things, so it didn't take to long.

Ed sighed and looked at the clock again. He got up and went through his morning ritual in preparation for his appointment with Winry. He walked out of the door and hesitated where his bike was leaning against the side of the fence. He usually rode it everywhere, including to work, but he just wanted to walk and think so he left it sit there.

He arrived at the quaint yellow house to find a blond teen pacing on her porch. She was agitated, repeatedly smacking her upright palm with the business end of her wrench. She didn't see Ed, so he called to her.

"Ed! You are late! I thought something had happened to you. Where is your bike? **_Did_** something happen? Who called you short? Hows the auto-mail?" Winry raddled off frantically.

"Jeez Winry. I can only answer one question at a time." Ed said as he brought his hand up to scratch the back of his head nervously. He walked closer to the house to show the girl, now holding her wrench in a throwing position, that he was not hurt. "I left my bike at home because I wanted to just have a calm walk to just think about... things... " He trailed off as he stepped onto the porch to stand beside the pretty blond. He could see why all the neighborhood boys wanted to date her, her face held bright blue eyes in a youthful face framed by fine, light blond hair, but her body was more muscular than other women showing her experience and sturdiness. He saw this beauty too, but he didn't, couldn't love her. He knew her real nature of acting tough through her pain, but breaking at the sight of someone else suffering. He would always respect her and be her shoulder that she could cry on, but that would never extend past their childhood friendship.

He smirked to himself as he thought of these things because even his own brother had fallen for her at one time. She looked dazed at his sudden stillness but that was broken when he retreated into the darkness of the house. She followed along, a smirk of her own forming on her lips as she thought what was coming up. She always loved to play with her inventions, but without the human to test them they were just lumps of metal. She could only see if there were flaws when she hooked them up to Ed's ports. Sure she had a few other patients, but Ed was her favorite because the rest were all cry-babies always passing out or having to take drugs.

They did the usual check-up stuff and when Winry reconnected the nerves Ed remembered the dream he had of the memory. The pain in the reconnected port seamed worst than normal, and Winry noticed.

"Is something wrong with the auto-mail? You seem like it hurts more than usual," the female mechanic said.

"Yeah, I mean no, its fine. I'm just tired. I had a... bad dream last night." He replied.

"OK then, I guess..." She said to get off of the topic. She knew, with all that he had gone through, that his 'bad dreams' happened more often that he would like and they were usually worst than just 'bad.' She looked at the clock mounted on the wall. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

"It's inspection day" He said. She just looked at him confused so he explained further, "I thought I had told you this before, you gear headed freak." She turned red and reached for her trusty wrench, but he paid her no attention as he continued, "On inspection day the main head guy stops by to inspect the warehouse. One day, right after I had been employed, the boss had stopped by and saw me. Mr. Armstrong had cover for me by saying I was a family friend. Now if I am even near the building the boss gets suspicious, so I just stay away when he comes."

"Oh," was her simple reply. She decided to change the subject to ease away from the suddenly awkward air. "This new model I made is more stable than the last because I added bla-bla-bla and the material is made from a mix of bla-bla-bla. This one has more chrome, which will make it more rust resistance, but it also makes it weaker so don't be picking up the heaviest boxes... Hey! Are you even listening to me?" She looked down on the already dozing form of the young man. Somehow he had shifted himself so that he was stretched fully across the long couch, his shirt ridding up to reveal a muscular abdomen. Winry grabbed a spare blanket and covered the small form.

She sighed as she sat beside him on the floor. She sat there for a while just looking at the tanned face. When he slept he looked so innocent and worry free, almost like a normal kid his age would look. He had already been through so much that he was forced to grow up fast, first taking care of his sick mother then his brother.

Her vision blurred and she felt her cheeks getting wet.

* * *

_She remembered the day they had found him lying on the street, more blood than she had ever seen spilling out of his small, shaking body. They had tried to push their way through the crowd, but the group of rubber-neckers and truly concerned people were too thick. They saw the ambulance arrive with the same difficulties and leave in a flurry of lights and sirens. The crowd dissipated and they could finally see the scene clearly. Al was sitting on the street just a few feet away from the red lake. 'He has the eyes of a dead man,' she thought as she looked into Al's dazed gaze. She shook his shoulders but he did not respond. Tears starting to spill from her ocean-blue eyes, she grabbed the screwdriver that she happened to have in her pocket and hit him with all of her force. All she accomplished was pushing him onto his back, eyes still wide open with terror. She suddenly felt weak and helpless, 'I can't help him... I couldn't help Ed... ' She collapsed onto her knees. She hit Al again, and again, and again, but all with no effect._

_She had no clue what time it was, but her tears had dried up and her sobs had slowed before she felt a hand on her shoulder. "We need to take him to the hospital. They might know what to do, and Ed is there..." Pinako said. She stood up on shaky legs, a steadying hand still gripping her shoulder. She finally got her balance before looking down at the small form of her friend, her brother. 'I have to do something...' She bent down and shifted the limp body until she was carrying him piggyback style. He thankfully was still small and light, not having hit puberty yet, but he still felt like several tons by the time they reached the hospital._

_A nurse took Al down a hall and assumably into the room with Ed. They were told to wait, so they waited for what felt like ages. Finally A doctor appeared and explained that Ed was stable for now, but he was still near the edge due to his extreme blood loss and trauma. Al was a completely different story. The doctors still could not place a firm diagnosis on him because he was still unresponsive. They thought that the most likely reason for his coma-like state was the shock of what had happened._

_A frantic nurse rushed to the doctor and whispered something into her ear. The male nurse hurried back to the way he came with the doctor in tow._

_The doctor returned shortly later with a sad look on her face. "I think that you need to see them, but be... prepared," She said before showing them the way to Ed and Al's room. The first person Winry saw was the boy on the far side of the room. He was missing half of his body, but the wounds had been cleaned and dressed, the gory scene from earlier hiding below the thick gauze. He was still asleep, and if it wasn't for the painkillers being pumped into his system through the IV, his dreams would be filled with his demons._

_She then spotted the other blond in the room. His eyes followed her every movement like a baby. She put on a false smile and, fearing her voice would falter, waved. He flinched and hugged his knees closer to his body like a frightened animal. Her smile fell as concern clouded her thoughts. "A-Al?" She choked out. "Al whats wrong?" She asked him. He just stared at her, not even registering that she had asked him a question. The doctor took that as her cue to interject._

_"I'm sorry, but it seems that due to the shock he has lost his memories. He can still speak, read, write, and walk but he can only do the basics of each. They are all muscle memory type things so he might have retained other skills, like riding a bike, but it is really unclear." Winry felt her eyes widen with each word. Fear invaded her being 'Al lost his memories? H-How?' She sat down in a chair that was conveniently behind her. The doctor sensed her fear and confusion so she tried to elaborate, "This happens sometimes to people in extremely..." she searched for the correct word, but she could not find it so she settled with "disturbing situations. To prevent a total collapse of their mental stability they enter a daze like state. During that time they unconsciously lock away that memory, but sometimes it ends up going in overdrive, locking away all the memories. Depending on the person and the event that triggered the amnesia, some people will regain their memory, but sometimes they are permanently locked away. I suggest that you should expose him to things and people that he was close to, that might trigger a release of one or all of his memories. Even if the exposure does not work it will help him establish his place in the world again." _

_She looked down at Winry with a mother's gentle eyes as she crouched beside the chair, bringing their faces level. "I really am very sorry that we can not do any more to help him. Even with modern technology we don't completely know how the brain works." _

_The doctor glanced at the sleeping half-boy "He should be fine in the way of being stable, for the time being. He is still very weak from the loss of blood, but unless he caught an infection he should be feeling slightly stronger as soon as tomorrow. We did give him a blood transfusion so we need to monitor for rejection. We need to wait for the wounds to heal, and he will then need to re-learn a lot of things, he might also break down because tragic amputations tend to be harder to accept than if the limb died over time." She had slipped into the monotone delivery of bad news that she had much experience of over time, but her eyes still held Winry's in her caring gaze._

_Winry bowed her head to think, her bangs shielding her eyes. 'How could I help? She said that Al needed familiar surroundings, but what about Ed? We need to stay with him... Ed hates hospitals...' Then an idea came to her. "C-can..." Her voice broke with hoarseness and fear. She started over with more momentum "C-can we take Ed home with us? When he is good enough to travel can he come home? W-we run a prosthetic business and we double as a hospital for the town sometimes. We could take care of him..." She looked up to see a shocked expression on the kind doctor's face.  
_

_"I'll have to talk to the head doctor, but I will do whatever I can to help you. If you think that taking him home is for the best, I can not argue with you because you know him better," the doctor said. "Oh and my name is Katheryn Lynn, but you can call me Kay, alright?"_

_Winry nodded and smiled a genuine smile before Kay left with Granny Pinako to discuss the boys. Winry looked back at the brothers, but they were both asleep. Or that is what she thought before she saw a flicker of gold eyes that gave away the fact that the older brother is awake. "Ed!" She said as she rushed to the side of his bed. She grabbed his cold left hand in hers, slightly squeezing. "How are you feeling?"_

_Ed responded with a weak "Thanks... hate...hosp...hospitals...". Winry smiled down at the pale, already drowsy face. _

_"So you were listening then?" She asked. He tilted his head slightly down, and then back up to say 'yes'. Winry gave him a sad smile as she said, "Did you hear about Al's memories?" The head hesitated then reluctantly tilted down again. She gave his hand a light __squeeze before saying, "Get some sleep, and please don't push yourself. We will figure this all out when you are feeling better. Goodbye." She stood up and walked over to Al's bed. She tucked him under the thin blankets and looked back at Ed. Ed was already lost in a deep, drug-induced sleep. She left the room to find Granny Pinako waiting for her. They went back to the hotel to make arrangements and to get some much-needed rest. From this day on Winry knew that the road would be rough, but she would always be there for the brothers, no matter what._

* * *

Winry opened her eyes to find that she was lying on the floor. She stood up and stretched, forcing her protesting muscles to work. "Must have fallen asleep..." She said as she rubbed her eyes. The short nap had only achieved in making her more tired than before. She trod off to her room, but in the doorway she suddenly remembered that there was another person sleeping in this house. She went back to the couch to find no one there and a neatly folded blanked on the end of the makeshift bed. Just then she noticed that there was a matching blanket heaped up on the floor, which had probably been used to cover her own sleeping form.

She shrugged and went for her bedroom again. "Granny Pinako will get em..." She muttered to herself as she slowly made her way to her real bed. She had pulled an all-nighter last night to prepare for Ed, so "I deserve the bed..." Her mutterings were slurred with sleep, but as long as she landed on something soft she didn't care. She finally reached her bed and sank down on it not even caring that she still wore work clothes. As her head hit the pillow she realized that "Grnny 'Noco s away... oh whell..." The darkness of slumber came quickly.

* * *

**After Note: Yay end my first chapter 2! Sorry for the bad ending with random pov switch. I am also sorry that the last two chapters ended the same (or maybe I planed that lol jk). So this was basicly a backstory chapter so if you dont like it sorry again. next chapter WILL have atleast some magic. PM/Review if u have any sugestions for random plot or (especially) pairings/ships/whatever. I'm open to anything! (I have to be open to lots of stuff due to their jokes/etc.) Anyways... Hope you liked and if not please hang in there. Bye till next time!**


	3. Ch 3: The Bang at the Door

_**Author's Note: Hi again, everyone! I thank you soooo much for reading, faving, reviewing, and following! You do not know how much it means to me! I am SSSOOOOO sorry that I have not updated in a while, and I have no excuses except that I am lazy (and I went on a vacation), so sorry again. It is finally getting to the fun Harry Potter side of things! Yay! Sorry if any of the Harry Potter people are a little OOC but I am not as familiar with them as I am with FMA. Oh, and when I said in chapter 2's After note that I have to be open to 'their' jokes I meant my other perverted otaku friends. Sorry for the random typo due to having no sleep in a while... **_

_**BTW: I will probably have some random crosses from other universes (For example: something from Star Trek by the request of my super Trekkie father) so if you have any requests PM me and I will try to fit them in.**_

_**Her****e**** is another response to the 'guest' reviews:**_

_**Guest: **Thanks for reviewing again (If you are the same person, which I assume it is)! Yeah, sorry for the slowness, but I am hoping it will speed up soon... That sounds like me, I will read pretty much anything fullmetal related, unless it is a cross with something I am not familiar with. I am going to try and tie in some of the fma kind due to a new professor (Mwahaha) and a new tutor (Mwahaha x a million) that shows up. See if you can guess who ;) Put I probably will have some of the HP kind... with everything else, idk until it is typed. BTW are you Canada (if not ignore this question because only my friend will get it)? Thanks again! Bye for now!_

**_Jackellynekolove: _**_Thanks for reviewing! I wasn't__ trying for cute, but that is good that it came out like that because I think we can all like a cute Ed. I've already planed a nice lover that will probably be expected, but hopefully be unusually found... If that makes any sense__ I don't want to give to much away, so I better shut up now... Bye for now and I hope you keep reading!_

**Warnings: **The usual spoilers and Language; Maybe blood, but it is unlikely.

* * *

**Chapter 3: The Bang at the Door**

Ed woke up and immediately bolted upright. He was in a strange room with tons of gadgets and all sorts of torture devices. It took a few minutes for him to remember where he had fallen asleep. He looked on the floor beside the couch he sat on to see his young childhood friend sound asleep. She was twitching and mumbling something between clenched teeth, her face clenched with anger and confusion. He looked at her pained face, trying to decide between waking her from her obvious nightmare, or letting it pass. He decided to go with the later and left the room to find something more comfortable for her to sleep on.

All he could find one of the thin patient blankets and a grey pillow. He probably could carry her to her room, she was light enough despite her muscles, but he did not want to risk waking her. _Knowing that perverted idiot she would get a nosebleed knowing that I am even thinking of carrying her... _He shook the thought away as he positioned the blanket over Winry's tensed form. He crouched beside her head to position the pillow when he noticed..._  
_

_Tears... Why is she crying? Did I make her cry again? Or is it... _He thought back to the restless night he had. _It would fit... _

The pillow having been abandoned beside the blond's head, Ed took notice for the first time that there was another blanket pooled up on the edge of the couch. _Ha. I guess I am returning the favor then. _He sighed and commenced in folding the tangled blanket. He sighed before leaving the small clinic.

"Shit," He cursed to the lowering sun. The sky was a deep orange-red over the hills, but it was already dark near the town. He nearly sprinted the whole way home. He arrived to find a very relieved Alphonse sitting at the kitchen table reading one of the many library books. "Brother where were you? Are you hurt?" Al asked, some of his worrying returning as he noticed that Ed nearly collapsed into his chair.

"Ngh... I... I'm fine... Al..." Ed said between his painting. He hadn't run like that in a while, and with new auto-mail adjustments it was nearly torture. He waited for his breathing to return to normal before he continued. "I was at Winry's house when I..." His voice trailed off when he realized that he was blushing. _Why the hell am I blushing like a stupid school girl? Idiot..._ _Hopefully Al wont notice... M-Maybe he will think it is from running..._

"B-Brother? Did you... I m-mean...um..." Ed looked up to see his brother's face flush with a furious tomato-red color. "I-I mean... If you don't w-want to tell..."

Al was interrupted by the sound of his older brother trying to hide his loud snickering. Suddenly the violent snickers broke forth, turning into very loud, full-blown laughter. After a few seconds of the younger Elric watching his older brother with a bewildered look, Ed finally said in between more chuckles, "No Al, its nothing like that... All I did was fall asleep on her couch... Who would want to even kiss that hot-headed, wrench throwing girl, let alone do _that?_" The laughter started up again, but this time it came from both brothers.

They were interrupted by a sudden, loud banging. It scared the older brother and he jumped. "Fuck. Damn it Al. Is your bird still here?" Ed asked. Al answered, "Language Ed, and no. I let him go this morning." They waited for a long time for the noise to repeat, but it seamed like the intrusion was a one time occurrence. The brothers led out a collective breath right before the knocking returned again. This time both brothers jumped.

"Y-y-you are the o-older one. You g-get it." Al managed to whisper. "Fine." Ed mumbled, along with some other very colorful swear words, as he stood and walked to the location of the noise, which persisted throughout. He reached for the front door handle hesitantly, and remembered the peephole. He stood on tip-toes (Damn his Fucking height) to peek at their 'visitor.' The bulb in the outside hall must have blown because he could not see anything. He could almost hear the neighbors complaining, so he quickly opened the door. He had to dodge a big, meaty hand that almost hit his head, the hand still in the knocking motion.

"Y-yes? What do you want?" He asked the man, _no the mountain,_ standing on his doorstep.

"Are ye a Mr Edward Elric?" Mountain asked. All Ed could do was weakly nod in response. Mountain nodded his own head, scraggly beard bouncing up and down along with him. The mood suddenly became awkward as Mountain started to rock on his feet, obviously waiting for something. He finally broke the silence by saying, "So... Uh,... Are ye gonna let me in? Or are ye gonna wait ter the next Ice Age?" The mountain smirked and looked down at the shocked Ed, who just stood in place, like a toy soldier.

"Wha-... Who are you?" Ed managed to squeak out, mentally cursing his own voice.

"O-Oh. You don't know? I guess bein' new ter magic would do that. Didn't yer dad tell ye?" Ed scowled at the mountain at the mention of his father. Mountain thankfully took the hint and changed the subject. "Well, I'm the great Rubeus Hagrid, Head Gamekeeper and the Keeper of Keys at Hogwarts, the greatest school for young wizards and witches," he said with great pompousness, even going so far to puff out his chest. Then he relaxed and went back to his normal state when he said, "But most people call me Hagrid. I'm here on a special mission directly from Dumbledore himself. Says that I'm supost' to take ye ter Hogwarts be fer any other school gets ye. Says that you didn't send back a reply on the owl we sent you."

As he talked, Hagrid made big gestures, and Ed had to dodge a few of them every once in a while. Hagrid's movements and his rant suddenly came to a stop when a door down the hall opened. He looked like a deer caught in the headlights, body rigid and hands hovering in mid-air. Even one of his eyes was twitching with the strain of it all. The neighbor also stopped mid step when she had spotted the giant unkempt man standing in the hall. The old woman was quickly becoming very pale, mouth slowly opening wide and prepping to let out a very loud wail.

Ed dragged the man inside, causing both to topple onto the floor with Ed on the bottom. Up close He finally saw that the other man's beard was full of odd things like scraps of food, rocks, dirt, and some things Ed would rather not identify. He tried to get away, but he was pinned and the heavy man was still dazed. He let out a yelp and struggled to get free. He could feel his fake arm being slowly bent from the pressure of the weight above him. The mountain finally stirred and jumped up frantically. He managed to make a few more things fall, mainly piles of books, before he sat on one of the dinning room chairs.

"Stupid Muggles. No matter how many of 'em ye see they keep getin' scarier..." Hagrid said. He stared at his callused hands that were still shaking a bit.

"W-what. What are Muggles. What is this Hogwarts? Is this just a trick? Were you hired by the men at work?" Ed fired off, finally finding his voice. This was all going to fast to understand.

"This ain't no 'trick.' Magic IS real. Do ye really not know anything?" Hagrid looked up into Ed's golden eyes. The big man's face screwed up under his beard while he thought hard. "But why is Albus so fond of ye? He usually isn't interested in a boy who has no knowledge of magic. Let alone send lil' old me to get ye." His face brightened almost as fast as the invisible bulb floating above his big head "Maybe yer one of 'em fancy old families with famous ancestors. Who's yer parents?"

Ed glared at the man again, but noticing that Hagrid could not be phased, he looked away. He crossed his arms across his chest and shifted his weight onto his fake leg. "My... My mother was Trisha Elric. My father left us when I was really young," Nothing could hide the bite in the words, but again the mountain was unphased. Ed sighed and closed his eyes, trying to think. "I forget my bastard father's whole name, but I think I remember some people calling him 'Van Hohenheim.'"

Suddenly Hagrid jumped up from his seat, sending the small chair flying to the other side of the cramped room. "T-**THE** Hohenheim?! The famous man who helped Nicolas Flamel create the Sorcerer's Stone?! Of course! It's so obvious! Ye have the Hohenheim hair an' eye color. In fact ye look exactly like yer father!" The elated mountain was ignoring the death glares and black aura that was pouring off the small teen. "Ahaha! We thought all the Hohenheims were lost an' now look at this! First yer father returns to help, now you! Now we have two strong, golden-blood men appearing out of nowhere!"

Hagrid's outburst soon had the whole apartment shaking and a frantic Al running into the room. "Brother! What's happening!" He froze at the sight of the mountain waving his arms around and shaking with laughter.

"Ah! Is this another Hohenheim? How bloody brilliant! Aha!" Hagrid shouted noticing the other teen entering the room. The big man then continued his ranting laughter.

"Shh! Quiet! Please! You are going to wake the landlord!" Said Ed frantically. Hagrid did not hear him through the noise and Ed irritatingly huffed. He grabbed the man's swinging arms, and with the momentum, Ed threw him to the floor. Continuing with the motion, Ed sat on the broad expanse of the mountain's back, effectively pinning him. The room became instantly quiet with the show of Ed's strength.

Hagrid gasped, his sounds muffled by the floor. He said, "No one's ever been able to take me down. It's good ye live up to yer name. Um... can ye let me up now?" Ed grudgingly shifted off the man and helped him up. They decided that they needed to talk, so Al and Hagrid sat and Ed paced behind Al.

"Now, Edward, believe it or not ye **are** a wizard. That letter ye got was to notify ye that we want yer talents at Hogwarts as a student. I do not know how they ever found out about ye, but they did not know about yer brother. I am afraid that he was not accepted. It is past the deadline for sending in applications, so he probably will not be able to go with ye." Ed's movements ceased as his body went rigid.

"N-no! He has to come with me! He just goes to school! I provide for us. Without me he would be kicked out on the street with no food! He **HAS** to go! If he doesn't go I won't go!" Ed slammed his palms on the table. He gritted his teeth nearly growling at the intruder. Hagrid didn't flinch and in turn gave Ed a stern, but sorry, look that said 'There is nothing I can do.' Ed let out a sigh that was heavy with years of closed off sadness. He dropped his head, letting his hair cover his wetting eyes. _Damn it. Not now Not here. Al is watching. _Water hit his hand. "He... Al is my only family," another few water drops, "He is the only family I have left." _Fuck I can't stop it now_ "P-Please let him come," tears were now leaving many streaks down his cheeks. _I need to get out of here._ "S-stay the night. Al will find you a spot. I need to go.S-Sorry."

Ed practically ran to his bedroom. He made sure to lock the door behind him. The dam broke. He collapsed onto his knees and sobbed. He had mastered how to silently cry, but this time he couldn't hold it in. _I don't even care if that man hears, but what about Al? What will happen to him? Will he have to get a job? Will he even be able to make enough? What will happen if he gets behind? It's bad enough when I get behind and he has to work for a few days, but he won't have anyone to fall back on. What will he think. Will he think I abandoned him? Will he hate me like that bastard of a dad? Damnit Damn it... Damn... it... _His mind fell silent as he became lost in his own sobs.

After what felt like ages Ed's eyes were finally dry along with his mouth. He stumbled onto his feet and walked to his door. Quietly unlocking and opining it, he stepped into the hallway. He opened the door to the kitchen, but jumped back a bit at the sight of a beast lying on the floor. _Oh its just Hagrid._ He let out the breath that he didn't realize he was holding. He stepped around the makeshift bed to the refrigerator. His stomach growled and he glanced over his shoulder to see if the big man had stirred. He hadn't. Ed turned back to the open fridge. He never eats breakfast, he slept through lunch, and he missed dinner, so he was starving. The only thing left in their tiny fridge was a container of rice left over from a Japanese dinner, and some stew.

"Damn. I should have gotten groceries today..." _So much has happened today. It feels like it has been weeks since yesterday. _Ed tough as he got out the stew and heated it. The table had been moved to make room for Hagrid, so he just stood at the counter. He ate his stew quickly, practically inhaling it. He sat the spoon and the empty dish in the sink with a sigh. "Still hungry..." he mumbled as he staggered back to the fridge, already getting tired. He grabbed the rice and headed to his room. He didn't feel like heating it, but it didn't matter, rice tasted okay cold.

He plopped on his bead and grabbed his favorite book. He slipped the cheap chopsticks out of the side of the rice container and started to eat as he read. After a while the pages started to get blurry, and he couldn't concentrate. Ed closed the rice and put it on the stand beside him, and went back to his book. He eventually fell asleep reading some passage about a man named Paracelsus, a great alchemist.

* * *

Ed woke up to a thumping sound. He was never functional in the morning. He usually would not even remember what had happened the previous day until he was already at work, and this day was no different. He groaned as he sat up, knocking over a book and a half empty container of rice. He didn't think anything of it, having a midnight snack was a nearly daily (or rather nightly) occurrence. He put the book on top one of the many piles in the room, throwing away the very little remaining rice.

"Ah, shut up Al! 'S to early for this." Ed slurred. The pounding didn't stop. Usually when he knew that Ed was up and moving he would leave him alone. This woke Ed up more. _Is something wrong?_ _Did I oversleep?_ He looked at the clock. He didn't oversleep, he did the opposite. He was actually early. He groaned again as he stood and said, "Fine, Al. I'm coming."

He dusted off his tank-top as he staggered to the door. Ed opened the door to find a monstrous fist almost hitting his face. "Sorry bout dat." Suddenly the memory of last night came back to him in a flood. "Y-yer arm! It's-"

Ed looked up into Hagrid's face in surprise. The mountain was staring at the shining metal of his fake arm. Ed took hold of it with his real arm and unconsciously hugged it close to his body. He always hated people seeing it because then they thought he was just some cripple that needed pity. He hated being looked down on like he was a broken child. Hagrid was still staring at it, but he had more of a look of awe than of disgust or pity.

"The thin's these Muggles come up wit! What is it? How does it work?" Hagrid managed to sputter out. Ed smiled a bit at the fact that this 'magical' person was so amused.

"It's called 'auto-mail.' You don't have anything like it in your 'magic' world?" Ed asked.

Hagrid managed a shallow shake of his head before he said, "No. We can make 'ings move and fly with magic, but ye don't do magic, do ye? Is it a machine?"

"Sort-of I guess. It might have a motor in it. It is a type of prosthetic that moves when my mind tells it to. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but if you really want to know then I could take you to the people who made it." Ed described. Hagrid scrunched up his face, as if he was debating something really important.

"No. We don't 'ave any time. We need to go! Get ready and bring yer letter to." The mountain said before he left abruptly to the kitchen. Ed huffed and closed the door. He got ready quickly as instructed. He decided to wear a long-sleeved button-up black shirt, black leather paints, and his favorite black combat boots. Al had complained about them before, saying that they were to big and clunky and that they made him sound like a herd of elephants were coming through, but he gave up complaining a long time ago when his gripes when unacknowledged. And besides, even with the boots on Ed could be quiet when he wanted to, as demonstrated many times when sneaking up and scaring Al.

When he was done getting dressed he brushed his hair and put it into his usual braid. Reluctantly, Ed went over to the atlas and took out the letter. He picked up his favorite book again, the one he was reading last night, and he put the letter in-between some random pages. Unconsciously, he started tapping the top of the book with his real hand. He had always liked the sound that hardcover books made when tapped.

Ed left the bedroom and entered the kitchen to find Al almost flying around the seated Hagrid. Al was shooting off any question that popped into his head, barely giving the other man a chance to answer any of them. Finally the younger brother saw Ed and a final question was said. "Where are you taking us, Hagrid?"

"We need to pick up yer brother's supplies, o course were goin' te Diagon Alley. 'Ere an't no place better." Hagrid responded with enthusiasm that was not there with all the other questions.

"I've never heard of it. Where it is. Is it close?" Ed said as he entered the crowded room.

"Why, London of course." Hagrid said as if it was common knowledge.

"W-WHAT?! **LONDON?!** How **t****he hell** are we getting there?" Ed shouted at the obviously delusional man in their house.

"Wit this o course!" Hagrid said as he pulled out a normal looking pink umbrella. Ed was going to shout some curses and kick the bastard out, but he was surprised into silence when the mountain began to wave the umbrella and mumble some odd words. Suddenly the room started to spin and warp. _Did he slip me some drugs or something?_ The world went black and a second later Ed was falling, landing on his butt.

The world was still dark, but Ed could hear the sounds of people talking, glasses clinking, and Al's voice. _Al's voice? _Ed realized that it was dark because his eyes were still closed. He opened them wearily, first seeing many tables filled with people in a grubby-looking room. He kept searching until he found Al, who was sitting on his butt and taking in the new scenery like Ed. Al's eyes met his brother's and they gave each other confused looks.

"The usual, Hagrid?" a shabby man standing behind a bar said. He must have been the bartender because he matched his establishment perfectly.

"Can't Tom, I'm on Ho-... I mean I'm busy." Hagrid respond. He didn't want to say what type of business he was on, because last time he was basically mobbed. They didn't have time for that now. An all of these people seamed to know everything. If the found out that they were of the Hohenheim bloodline there would be a feeding frenzy. Hagrid quickly rushed to the back door. He didn't even check to see if the golden-blood brothers were following before he started putting in the code.

Ed noticed the big man bolt out a door. Ed stumbled to his feet, that felt like jello, before going after him. Al followed his brother out the door to see Hagrid tapping on some bricks with his umbrella. Hagrid shifted to let both brothers see past him. Soon enough the bricks were _moving_. They were wriggling and shifting until they created a large arch in the brick wall.

Through the arch were a ton of odd shops, all crammed together like the people on the winding street below. The cobble street twisted under the feet of many passerby. A snow-white building rose up above the other shops, making them look like mere chickadees compared to a majestic crane.

Hagrid smiled at the brother's identical open mouths and surprised looks.

"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley!"

* * *

_**Afternote:** I am sorry it took so long for me to get this chapter out. I wrote the whole thing one night, but then when I went to save it half of it disappeared The sun was already coming up, so I gave up and went to bed. Then other... stuff happened (see A Dog's Story) and it took me a while to get back to rewriting the rest of the story. I am going to try to write the next chapter tomorrow, but no promise, and after that I am going to a place that probably will not have internet, so sorry in advance if it takes a while again. I will definitely get the next one up sooner than this one._

**_Like always, if you have suggestions feel free to review/PM me!_**

**_Thank you for sticking with me and reading! See you next time!_**


	4. Ch 4: The Shopping Trip

_**Author's note: Hi again everyone! I am sorry for taking a while to post again, but I've been busy and I had a sort of writer's block. I tried to make this the longest chapter so far to make up for it. I am getting more into the hp world, so hopefully you hp fans will be happy. I am doing a ton of research to! So thanks again with reading/reviewing again.**_

_**If anyone has any ideas for an original short rant tell me please, because I am so bad at writing them. My favorites will get featured in later chapters.**_

_**Guest:**__ I am so sorry, (*low bow*) but I just wanted to make sure it was still you. Better safe than sorry. I hadn't even thought about half of them... (Mwahaha random plod bunnies). Sorry but I didn't know if Canada was here or not yet. I told her about my writings and she told me she 'lost' her password, but I know she at least still reads a lot from here, so yeah. Yay back-story! I was actually going to make it up as I went along, but I had a brainstorm before ch 3 while I was on vacation, so I think I have the main back-story __and possibly the ending (or near the end) set. I __**will **__still do spur of the moment __back-stories __because that is how I work, but it will probably be just side __characters__. Thanks for continuing to read/review my horribly late and __inconsistent __work! Bye for now!_

**Warnings:** Mega language. Spoilers. I do not own hp or fma.

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**Chapter 4: The Shopping Trip**

"Welcome," said Hagrid, "to Diagon Alley!" He began to shoo the brothers through the new archway. "Ye need to get movin'! It closes in a bit."

Alphonse and Edward made it through the large opening before they heard the sound of a door opening behind them. The grubby bartender rushed into the small courtyard shouting, "Wait! Hagrid! Letter for you!"

Hagrid turned and looked between the brothers and the man holding an envelope, trying to figure out who to go with. Suddenly the bricks started to close and Hagrid was forced to make his decision. "Ye wait for me! I'll be right 'ere in a minute. Trust me-" He was cut off by the final 'shink' of the last brick sliding into place in the wall.

Ed had tried to run through the closing hole, but some invisible force held him back. Now that the wall was solid, he walked up to it and punched it with his fake fist. "Fuck. Bastard left us. I knew we shouldn't have trusted him." Ed continued to mutter a few more curses under his breath as Al walked up to the wall. Al glared at his brother and gave him a look to shut up before he tried to listen through the wall. All he could hear was a soft electrical buzzing.

Ed looked over to see Al turn around and frantically look at the other people walking on the cobble street, looking into shops, and meeting friends. No one seamed interested in two teens randomly appearing through a wall, except a few of the children, but they all went back to their game of tag quickly enough.

"W-where do you think we are Brother? Do y-you have a plan?" Al asked. He always looked up to his older brother to have a plan. Ed leaned against the brick wall to think. He looked around at all the shops in detail. They each seamed to boast wares that he had only heard of in stories, like dragon liver, unicorn horns, and even wands. Ed closed his eyes to block out the noise and the growing headache. He hated planing ahead, so many things could go wrong like in their past, but he had to think of something for Al. _Maybe one of the alleys or the stores will have a backdoor out of here. Where is **here** anyways? Is it some sort of outdoor asylum? Did the state find out about our living situation and decide to lock us up?_

Ed sighed and opened his eyes to look around again. His brother was near tears with worry, those golden eyes scanning the area for a way out. "Al, I am so sorry..." Ed's words caught Al's attention and he turned to look at his brother. Ed couldn't stand the fearful look in his brother's face, the brother he was supposed to protect. He couldn't stand Al's sad eyes, so he sighed and looked at the ground. "I am sorry Al. This should have never happened... I should not have even let this happen. It's all my fault..."

"Brother..." Al said. Ed looked defeated and angry with himself, his real hand was holding onto his fake arm self-consciously. "Brother, you know it is not your fault. I could have stopped it too! I just..." Al looked at the ground, almost mirroring his brother's stance. "I got caught up in the whole thing with the magic and new things and..." _and getting away from our problems for a little bit... _This is what Al truly wanted, but he couldn't let Ed know. Ed worked so hard for the life they had now, there was nothing more he could do, but if his brother knew he was unhappy Ed would work himself to the death for him. The thought of that was too much, and Al began to silently cry again. _Brother was always the stronger one. I can't even do anything for him except worry him. I am so weak..._

Ed sensed his brother's mood shift so he tried to distract him. "Hey Al, I think I came up with a plan. It's not much of a plan, but still. We could try going through one of the alleyways to get ou-Ah!" Suddenly Ed found himself falling and landing hard on his butt for the second time. He didn't have time to think before he was yanked up by his arm and shoved through the newly formed archway. He spun around to look back at the large, harry man that was now also going through the opening. Ed turned to face Al, who was trying (and failing) to suppress his laughter.

"Sorry 'bout that. It was very important." Hagrid said the word 'important' slowly so that he would pronounce it correctly. "So, were to? Ye probably don't 'ave any of our money, so Gringotts it is!" The mountain said, answering his own question. Hagrid started to make his way down the busy street.

"...The hell," Ed said almost to himself, then he began again, louder, catching Hagrid's attention, "What the Hell, you Bastard? Do you seriously think we are going to fucking go with you? What the fuck are you playing? What are you trying to do, you bastard?"

Hagrid stared at the brothers in surprise. Al was as shocked as Hagrid at his brother's outburst and clenched fists. Hagrid sighed an gave Ed a solemn look. "You don't believe me do you," he said more like a statement than a question. Hagrid sighed and continued, "'ave ye had anythin' happen, anythin ye can't explain? Most wizards, even Muggle born ones can do some magic before they realize it. Usually its some sort of traumatic event where ye were tryin' te protect yerself."

Ed looked at Hagrid, dumbfounded, "N-no... No, i don't think so. I can't think of anything that happened that was weird..." Ed said as he tried to think, but he could still think of nothing. Al made a small noise, and Ed turned to see golden eyes looking at him in horror.

"W-What about the day of the accident? From what you told me it was t-traumatic..." Al's voice drifted off as his eyes widened, as if finally recalling something. He continued, but his voice was barely above a whisper, "B-Brother... I... I-I=I remember! I REMEMBER! I f-finally remember the accident!" His voice grew louder, "I-I was the whole way on the other side of the street when you seemed to appear out of nowhere and push me out of the way!" Al's eyes widened further, "B-BROTHER! T-THE CAR! The car was going straight for your head. I-I wished it would miss. Even if it just missed by a little bit, I wanted it to miss so badly..." Al's legs gave out, but he seamed to not notice the hard ground or Ed, who was now sitting beside him. Al's eyes were glazed, he was lost in the memory. "A-And it jumped! The car j-jumped... It was only enough to miss your head, but it saved you. I-I saved you? It would explain why it jumped if I was a-a... a wizard..." Al snapped his gaze to Ed's and, with all the confidence he could muster, said, "I believe him, brother. I-I think we **are** wizards..."

Ed sighed and looked at the ground. He couldn't remember those few moments, but something must have happened, some sort of miracle. "Al... Are you sure?" Ed said as he looked back into his brother's hopeful eyes. Al hesitated, but then gave a firm and confidant nod. "Fine then, if you believe him..." Ed glared at the mountain who was glancing down at the scene with a pity filled, but slightly impatient gaze, "Then I... will to. I trust your judgement, Al." _I am still not completely convinced, though. __I only 'trust' him because you do, Al. If he even thinks about doing something to hurt you he is dead. _With this thought Ed gave a warning glare to Hagrid.

"Well then, let's get goin'. We've got lots to do!" Hagrid said as he began to turn toward the white building, but he paused and looked back over his shoulder. "I'm sorry that I can't explain it te ye better. Once ye meet Albus he'll tell ye more." Hagrid continued to slowly walk away, silently urging the brothers to hurry but not abandoning them on the street. Ed helped his brother up onto his still slightly weak legs. The brothers quickly followed the mountain, who quickened his pace once they had reached him.

Soon they arrived at the base of magnificently bright, snow-white marble steps that lead up to an equally bright building, a stark contrast to the surrounding cobble and brick buildings. "Gringotts," Hagrid said the one word with a regalness that seamed to match the exterior perfectly. "The best wizard bank ever. Ye'd be mad to try an' rob it." Hagrid started up the steps, revealing more of the front to the brothers' prospective. Al suddenly burst into badly hidden snickers. Ed gave him a confused look that said' What is it?'

"Look," Ed followed his brother's finger to find that he was pointing to a... thing that was short and had very long fingers and feet. The thing had on a deep red and gold uniform that matched its dignified face. Al stifled a few more chuckles before he continued, "We finally found someone who is smaller than you!" Al's snickers became full-blown, violent laughter at his brother's quickly reddening face. He knew that a rant, and possible bodily harm, was coming, but the joke was too good to pass pass up.

"**WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING S-**" Ed's outburst was cut off by Hagrid.**  
**

"That's a goblin." Hagrid only spared a slight glance backwards before continuing up the steps, motion for the brothers to hurry up. They obeyed and were beside Hagrid in a few seconds.

A smile played on Al's face as he leaned over to Ed and whispered, "Maybe you are actually a goblin-Ow!" Al gingerly rubbed the shoulder that had just recently been the victim of one of the famous Edward punches. "Did you _have_ to use _that_ arm?" Ed didn't have time to give a smart comeback because they were shooed through a set of open bronze doors by the mountain. They entered a small room that ended in another pair of doors, but they were silver this time. The extravagant doors had fancy lettering engraved upon them, but Ed didn't have time to read it because soon enough they were also opening. The next room was giant and filled with marble desks and many more busy goblins. Ed and Al followed Hagrid past many goblins weighing shiny coins on impressive scales, writing important looking notes, conversing with other patrons, and even inspecting precious-looking stones with thick glasses. They came to a stop in front of one of the rare free goblins.

"Mornin'," said Hagrid to the goblin, who was mildly surprised that a person with Hagrid's looks would even be let inside. "We've come te take some money outta these boy's family safe." Hagrid made a large gesture to the boys beside him, almost knocking over an expensive lamp in the process.

The goblin was trying to keep a professional mask on, but he was cracking. The goblin glared at the mountain as he painfully asked, in his monotone professional voice, "Do you have the key, sir?" The question was almost directed toward the brothers, but they were lost in examining every inch of the giant marble room. Hagrid promptly answered by reaching into one of the many deep pockets and carefully pulling out an ancient looking key. The key was silver and encrusted with golden swirls. The handle was worn, but the intricate carvings and scarlet inlays were still quite visible.

"Why, this key looks oddly familiar, but I can not..." The goblin was examining the key with interest when his eyes suddenly widened in recognition. "T-this key... Is it... No, it could not possibly be..." He looked at the two golden-haired teens. Hagrid was making some frantic gestures, but the goblin ignored him. The goblin leaned closer to the boys and in almost an awed whisper, the goblin continued, "Is this really the lost key? Are you truly gold-" He was cut off by a paper being shoved into his face, causing him to jump back slightly. The goblin took the stiff parchment from Hagrid's meaty hands, and he read it. Once he finished, he gave the paper back to Hagrid and gave him a knowing look. "Well, it looks like everything is in order. I will get someone to lead you down."

"Its best if less people know. Can ye lead us down?" Hagrid asked.

The goblin gave an uncharacteristic sigh before saying, "It has been a long time, but yes. I will try my hardest for this... important case." He directed the group through one of the many doors lining the hall. The door led into a strangely inexpensive looking, small stone hall lined with lit torches, giving the whole place an eerie glow. The hallway lead to a strange cart that looked as if it went along the tracks that crisscrossed along the ground. Hagrid eyeballed the cart as if it was the most horrible type of torture. Once everyone was in the cart it took off at a surprising speed.

"What was on the letter?" Ed's curiosity always had gotten the better of him, and this time was no different. He looked at the goblin, but he was facing ahead, seemingly staring into space. The goblin didn't even look as if he was controlling the cart, it just knew the way on its own. Hagrid's face was pained as if he was forcing his eyes to stay closed. Ed repeated his question, this time directing it more to Hagrid.

"Can't tell ye. Don't make me talk. I fink I'm gonna be sick." Hagrid curtly responded.

They rode in silence for what seamed like forever before stopping at one of the last giant stone doors. "Vault number 4," said the goblin. Everyone got out of the cart and Hagrid leaned against the door trying to steady his breath and his stomach. After a few minutes Hagrid pushed off of the door and faced the brothers. Ed hadn't noticed how green he actually looked before, but now he looked a lot less green. He nodded to the goblin, who took out the key and put it into the small slot. He took a deep breath and turned. Several loud clanking and scraping sounds came before the door opened and a cloud of dust drifted out. The door slowly opened to reveal mounds upon mounds of gold, silver, and even bronze coins of every size and shape. There was also tons of jewelry, dishware, knickknacks, and other mementos scattered about within the piles. The room extended so far that the brothers could not even see the back, and it was full to the brim with money. It was more money than they had ever even thought about owning. And it was theirs. Their money troubles were finally over.

"Here," Hagrid said as he pulled out a messenger-style bag and gave it to Ed. "This has a charm on it. Its bigger inside." Ed gratefully took the bag and started to put some of the newer looking coins into it. He gasped as the first hand-full fell into the deep void in his bag. These unusual things were becoming the norm for him, so he only spent a second of though on it. Al hurried into the room after his brother, picking up a small fragile doll and examining it. They spent a good while in there looking at the various objects, but they were rushed along by Hagrid who said that they had other stuff to do.

By the time they got back outside, judging by the bright sun, it was about noon. Ed's stomach growled angrily and they decided to take a break back at the bar that they had dropped into, the Leaky Cauldron, for lunch and a 'pick-me-up' for Hagrid. Ed finished his lunch quickly, practically inhaling it. He was antsy to get out and just _buy _something. It had been so long since he could actually spend money on some frivolous thing that he didn't need.

"Ye got yer list wi't ye?" Hagrid asked Ed. Ed opened his bag and pulled out the book that he had placed in there earlier. He handed over the whole envelope, not bothering to find the thing Hagrid had asked for. Ed realized again that he would be leaving behind Al alone in their apartment. Even though their money problems were over, he still didn't want to leave Al to fend for himself. _He is to young to live all alone, he is only 14. _Hagrid and Al were discussing the list, but Ed couldn't concentrate on it. His gloomy thoughts from last night returned to him. He quickly stood up and walked out the back door, trying to gather his thoughts into some semblance of normalcy. He had nowhere to hide here. _At least at the apartment I have my room..._

Ed paced for a long time outside before Al peeked is head out the door. "Brother?" Al asked tentatively. Ed gave him a sad, but thankfully dry, look.

"Sorry for walking out on you, Al, I'm just..." Ed's voice drifted off. _I don't want to worry him. _"Have you figured out where to go first?" Ed said to change the subject. Al nodded and stepped fully into the yard before closing the door behind him.

"We are going to 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions'," Al said but then quickly added, "Brother did you know about the other paper in the envelope?"

Ed sheepishly shrugged and answered, "I knew there was three papers, but I only read the acceptance letter."

"Hagrid said that the acceptance letter and the supply list is normal, but the third paper is not normally sent with the acceptance letters. It is actually not usually sent to minors at all." Ed gave his brother a slightly puzzled and uninformed look, so Al continued. "The third paper was a congratulations certificate. You aced a test called the W.O.M.B.A.T test." Ed gave Al an even more confused look. Al huffed but explained, "W.O.M.B.A.T. stands for Wizards' Ordinary Magic and Basic Aptitude Test. It is a written test consisting of three levels that even humans can take, but it is near impossible for even the best wizard to pass. You passed it when you were 12! Brother! You were the youngest person to ever pass it!" Al threw up his arms in excitement, but Ed was still lost. _How could I have taken a quiz without knowing it?_ The question kept going through Ed's thoughts.

"Al, I'm sorry, but I don't remember it," Ed said simply. Al visibly wilted a bit.

"But, how... How could you not remember that? The thing said that you sent it in from the warehouse via a fire..." Al tried to help Ed remember with the description. Ed tried to take in all the info that Al had given him. _I was 12. It must have been soon after I had the surgery and started working at the warehouse. A fire? The only fire I can think of is in Mr. Armstrong's office..._

"Wait, what about that day. The inspection day... I was having problems with my ports, and I went to his office. The head boss man was there and he made me stay in the office. I got bored when they went on rounds, so I..." Ed stopped his narration realizing what he was about to say. _I snooped through the boss man's bag_. Al would definitely reprimand him for it, so he changed the story a bit, "I found a book on the floor by the boss man's bag, so I read it." Al could easily see through the lie, and he glared at Ed, but he let his brother continue. "Inside the book was this weird packet..." Ed's eyes widened in realization. "That was it! The packet was the test you said about! I took the test, but I accidentally did it in pen, so I threw it into the fire. The fire went green for a second, but I thought it was just the ink on the paper or something..." Al looked elated at knowing the truth and also that it wasn't a mistake.

Hagrid loudly opened the door and walked directly to the brick wall. He gave a 'we need to get moving' look over his shoulder at the two teens before taping the wall with his umbrella. The archway promptly appeared and they all entered it and headed directly to their first stop, the uniform shop. With each step closer down the cobble street Ed could feel his mood darkening.

As soon as they entered they were greeted by a boisterous woman who called herself Madam Malkin and dressed in a satin mauve dress that hugged her stout frame in just the right places. She was slightly surprised by their ages, but she guessed correctly when she said, "Hogwarts, dearies? This way," She hurried them to the back where she gave both brothers long robs to slip on.

"Wait, my brother doesn't need one," Ed said gloomily. Malkin gave him an odd look but quickly turned to Hagrid.

"Why, of coarse he does! Ev'ry Hogwarts student needs a uniform," Hagrid said with gusto. Ed's face lit up with happiness and relief. He crossed the small shop and tightly hugged the big man.

"Thank you so much." Ed's words were a bit muffled by Hagrid's beard, but they were still filled with sincere emotion. Hagrid was surprised by the sudden hug, but he accepted it and patted the blond teen on the head. After the long hug, Malkin directed the brothers to the two footstools that they were to stand on. Ed practically skipped to his stool. Malkin and her assistant sized and pined up the robes with practiced speed. In no time at all they were finished with the alterations.

The shop directly beside Madam Malkin's shop was a large book store. Thankfully they didn't have to figure out what textbooks they needed just yet. Because they were a special case the headmaster would decide what classes they would take once they got there, and then they could just order the books. They did, however, stop in the store anyways to look at some of the books. Ed got a few books about alchemy and different alchemists, while Al got some medical magic books. Hagrid advised them to get some basic magic books so that they would at least know some things before they went to Hogwarts. Lastly, they got a short book on the culture and history of the magic world.

The rest of the shopping day was interesting but tedious. The brothers stocked up on some of the other basics, like cauldrons, scales, crystal phials, telescopes, and other items, according to the list that came with Ed's acceptance letter. By the time they reached the last shop the sun was hanging low in the orange sky. The shadows had grown in length and thickness, leaving nearly all of the still busy street in darkness, but the worn sign seamed to glow in the gloom. The sign read 'Ollivanders: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 B.C..' They all entered the tiny, shabby shop with the tinkling of a bell that seamed to resound all around them. Hagrid eyeballed the only object of furniture in the room, a spindly and slightly cracked chair, but decided against siting on it. The whole room was stacked full of piles of odd, long, narrow boxes. It was dead silent, but the air seamed to harbor a strange electricity.

"Good afternoon," said a small voice that matched the calmness of the shop. Ed jumped and he could feel his brother jumping beside him. Hagrid must have jumped as well, because there was a sudden crashing noise a one of the piles began to topple. None of the odd boxes met the floor, however, because they all stopped in mid-air before rearranging themselves upon the now stable stack.

An old man appeared from behind a few of the stacks. He was glancing at each occupant in turn with his wide eyes that looked like liquid mercury.

Ed gave the man an awkward nod, but Al replied with a hesitant, "H-Hello."

"Here for your first wands, I see." The man commented more to himself than the others. "My name is Mr. Ollivander, the current owner of the Ollivander brand." The man hesitated his movements for a second so that the brothers could reply with their names. As soon as the brief introductions were over, Mr. Ollivander quickly withdrew to the back of the shop, never blinking during the ordeal.

Something whipped off of the floor and began flying all around the brothers. Ed grabbed the object and realized that it was a long tape measure. The slippery tape measure yanked itself out of Ed's hand and continued its job, measuring everything that could possibly be measured.

"Which hand is your dominant hand?" The old man's voice echoed throughout the small space.

"M-My right hand," Al called back.

"I guess its my left hand," Ed replied sheepishly.

The old man and his unblinking eyes returned into view. "Why do you say 'I guess'?"

"Well, I was originally right-handed, but some... things happened and now I am mainly left-handed," Ed replied to the slightly creepy old man. Thankfully, he did not push the issue as he went to the back again. A few moments later he returned with two boxes that looked like all of the rest that littered the room. Mr. Ollivander opened two of the boxes and pulled out a stick-looking object from each of them. "What are they?" Ed asked.

"They are wands, of course! Ollivander wands are the best and each one is made of the finest quality magical substances at their cores. Not one wand is the same as another, just as no two snowflakes are the same. And because of this, you will never get such good results with another's wand. Of coarse, you do not chose your wand, your wand chooses you." With this, the old man handed both brothers a wand. "Right then, give them a try. Just a wave is fine. Oak with unicorn horn shards, Cherry with harpy scales," He nodded to each wand in turn. Al tried his first, but nothing happened, and Mr. Ollivander quickly put the wand away. Ed felt stupid, but he tried his wand as well with the same response. The brothers tried a few more wands this way, and soon enough the used wands were creating their own piles beside each brother.

"Hmm... Tough customers... No matter, we will find your wands, do not worry!...I wonder..." Mr. Ollivander's voice was coming from the back room once again as he was looking for more wands. Ed had become impatient after the first few wands, but Al kept his cool until the latest few wands. Ed noticed that Al was waving the sticks even more vigorously than before. Hagrid was leaning up against the wall and almost falling asleep. The old man came back out carefully carrying two boxes that were a brighter red color than the burgundy color of the other boxes. He set the boxes down and Ed noticed that the 'Ollivanders' logo was gold instead of the usual black.

Mr. Ollivander gingerly handed each brother a wand as he said, "Be very careful with these..." As soon as the wand touched his flesh hand, Ed could feel a warmth radiate from the stick and into his core. He looked over at Al, who seemed to have the same reaction to his wand. In unison, both brothers waved the wands, and instantly brilliant blue sparks and tiny streaks of lightning shot out of Ed's wand. He looked over in time to see that his brother's wand had the similar sparks, but they were a bit calmer and in a forest green color. Ed saw Al's eyes widen in surprise at his own power, and Ed knew that his face was probably a mirror of his brother's.

"Oh, wonderful! Yes, indeed, you have found your wands. I can not believe I did not see this earlier..." Mr. Ollivander muttered to himself.

"Excuse me, but what are these wands made of?" Al asked.

"Yours," the old man nodded to Al's wand, "Is made of Dragon's Blood, a type of tree whose resin looks like blood, which is why it has that deep red myth says that when a dragon dies, a Dragon's Blood tree grows in its place. And yours," this time he nodded to Ed's wand, "Is made from a piece of a special piece of Maple. It is special because the maple seed somehow dropped into a pool of unicorn blood, and it soaked the potent liquid up. Once the maple tree grew it was evident that the unicorn blood had permanently altered it, giving it that silvery look." Mr. Ollivander's misty eyes glanced back and forth between the brothers, as if they just would not stay still.

"Both of the cores are made of a golden phoenix feather stained with blood," Mr. Olivander said. His pale eyes drifted off as he started to recount his story. "There was a golden phoenix that once lived a long time ago. This phoenix had a master that he was always with. The bird was completely faithful to its master. An unfortunate war broke out between the Muggles and the wizards that they were afraid of. The bird's master fought in this war to protect all magical beings, including his favorite phoenix. One day the master fell in battle at the hand of his own Muggle brother. The phoenix rushed to its master's body. In its attempt to save the master, the phoenix's wings were stained with the master's blood. The phoenix was so heartbroken and faithful to its master that it gave up its own immortality to save the master's life. The bird had also given all of its powers and its golden coloring to its master, and in return the master vowed to protect that power by taking all of the blood soaked feathers and entrusting them only to his noble descendants. The feathers were encased in a secret shrine and eventually some of them were put into the wands that the master's descendants would receive. Only the descendants of that one man are able to control the feathers' ultimate power. There have been many powerful and influential wizards and witches that have belonged to this family line throughout the ages. The family is considered one of the great family bloodlines, if not _the_ greatest. The master, the first in this long line, and his descendants' family name was..." The silvery eyes suddenly came back to focus as they shot to look at the brothers as he said, "Hohenheim."

Ed's mouth dropped open at the new revelation. _So Al an I am part of some sort of ancient powerful family? That man didn't even know about our... situation but yet he says that story. I don't think he was lying...But that also means that we are defiantly that bastard's sons... He said the 'noble' descendants so what about him? He abandoned us, how is that noble?... What kind of power do we have?..._ A million questions and comments were running through Ed's thoughts. "Do you have any more information on us?" Ed finally said his biggest question after a long silence. Al nodded in a silent agreement.

Mr. Ollivander gave them a slightly sorry expression before saying, "All I know with the story is that supposedly at one time all the phoenixes were a golden color, but in remembrance of the great phoenix's sacrifice they died all of their feathers read, and that is why phoenixes are red. The phoenixes also developed powerful healing abilities so that a tragedy like this would never have to happen again. Also, everyone believed that the last of the Hohenheim line had disappeared forever."

Ed and Al took a while to let all of the information to sink in. Eventually they thanked the shopkeeper, paid, and left. By the time the reached the brick wall leading to the Leaky Cauldron the moon was high and bright. They had hoped that the pub would still be open, but it was empty. Hagrid paid for dinner at a 24 hour diner before he 'poofed' them back in their apartment with the many strange packages. He said that he would return in a few days when he knew more of what 'Albus' wanted them to do.

"By the way, Hagrid, what was on the letter you got?" Al asked in his most innocent voice.

"Just that ye'd been accepted too," the mountain replied. He left and the brothers soon went to bed.


End file.
